Overcoming prejudice

First black man to own automobile dealership sold Studebakers in Detriot

First black man to own automobile dealership sold Studebakers in Detriot

June 11, 2006|TERRY JUDD

Among the 217 names enshrined in the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Mich., is Edward Davis, the first black to own and operate a new car dealership. But what generally is not known is that Davis got his start as a new car dealer by selling Studebakers in Detroit back in 1939. Today, Davis is remembered as a soft-spoken salesman who overcame racial prejudice to become a respected leader in the automotive community. Each year, the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers awards the Edward Davis Pioneer Award, named in his honor. Besides selling Studebakers from 1940 to 1956, Davis owned a Chrysler franchise from 1963 to 1971, and managed the Detroit Street Railway system until 1974. He also was active with various civil rights organizations, authored the book "One Man's Way" and formed the Edward Davis Education Foundation to provide scholarships, internships and mentoring for minority students pursuing a career in an automotive-related profession. First, a salesman A native of Louisiana, Davis was working at a Dodge Brothers factory in Detroit when he was hired in the mid-1930s as a part-ti e salesman at the Merton Lampkins Chrysler-Plymouth dealership on Woodward Avenue. He was so adept at selling, the dealership prevailed upon him to quit his job with Dodge and work as a full-time salesman, but only out of a make-shift second-floor office far away from white salesmen and white customers. In 1939, Davis bought a former plumbing supply building a few blocks north of Detroit's downtown business district and opened Davis Motor Sales. He quickly found success selling used cars. But Davis had a personal dream of selling cars for one of the "Big Three." After he was repeatedly turned down by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, Davis had given up hope when Studebaker's Detroit distributor Pat O'Day asked him in 1940 whether he would like to become a Studebaker dealer. Even though the offer at the time was unprecedented and historic, it was driven by the harsh economic realities that Studebaker had less then 2 percent of new car sales and only 10 dealerships in the Detroit area. Davis accepted the offer, scraped up the required $10,000 seed money and quietly became the nation's first new car dealer who happened to be black. He remodeled his building and began to tap the market he had nurtured when he sold used cars. World War II interrupted new car manufacturing, so Davis Motors survived by servicing Studebakers, including 18 operated by a nearby U.S. Army office. Davis' business was further crippled by the Detroit race riot of 1943. Many of the white customers at Davis Motors, which once accounted for 60 percent of his business, never returned. 'Miracle ride' Davis survived the post-war years by tapping into the black neighborhoods surrounding his dealership and heavily promoting Studebaker and its "miracle ride." Based on his success, Davis eventually was elected president of the Studebaker Dealers Association of Detroit. But with Studebaker sales plummeting nationwide, Davis was forced to abandon his Studebaker franchise in April 1956 to become a sub-dealer for a nearby Ford dealership. In 1963, he became a Chrysler-Plymouth dealer and went on to receive many awards from Chrysler Corp. But facing labor problems with his own salesmen, including a costly strike in 1969, Davis closed his business in 1971. Davis always had fond memories of his relationship with Studebaker, which he called "a wonderful relationship." Still, he recalled several instances of racial prejudice, such as the time a zone manager in 1946 ordered him to give up his Studebaker franchise. The zone manager only backed down after Davis personally appealed to Studebaker President Harold Vance. Davis also remembered traveling to South Bend for a dealers meeting, only to be denied a room at the official conference hotel. It took a quick phone call to the Studebaker vice president heading the conference to force the hotel to allow him to check in. Davis also remembered being mistreated by other Detroit-area Studebaker dealers and trying to reason with them. "I always would ask a hard question like, 'Would you treat your brother like that? Remember, I'm your brother. I'm a Studebaker dealer too, and we're all brothers.' They didn't know what to say." Davis recalled his association with Studebaker in 1995, when he attended the Studebaker Drivers Club international in Dearborn, Mich. He told the audience to always remember "the power of a smile," which he used throughout his career and his approach to life. Davis died in 1999 at the age of 88 and is survived by his wife, Mary-Agnes Miller Davis. Terry Judd is a Studebaker National Museum trustee.